Kukla's Korner Hockey

Fans are giving the new-look NHL an early thumbs-up, according to a poll.
The survey by Decima Research and the National Hockey League Fans' Association, provided to The Canadian Press, suggests fans are back and digging it.
''People are neither dismissive nor cynical,'' Decima CEO Bruce Anderson said Friday. ''They believe that the changes will matter and some of the early evidence, such as the rate of goal-scoring, bears out their expectations.''
Decima contacted 1,500 Canadians during a seven-day period from Sept. 30 through Oct. 6, a stretch that covered the end of the pre-season and two days of the regular season.
The poll found 600 respondents - or 40 per cent - who regarded themselves as typical fans of the game. Among those fans, 67 per cent said the new rules will make the NHL more exciting to watch and 81 per cent said their curiosity has been piqued to see how the rules play out over the course of a full season.